New to nature | The Guardianhttps://www.theguardian.com/science/series/new-to-nature
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New to nature No 141: Porophryne erythrodactylushttps://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/may/17/new-to-nature-no-141-porophryne-erythrodactylus-frogfish
<p>This newly classified frogfish, which inhabits the subtidal waters of New South Wales, has two quite distinct colour phases and an atypical defence strategy</p><p>If you are having difficulty seeing a fish in the photograph, well, that is rather the point. This newly discovered genus and species of frogfish mimics the appearance of the algae-encrusted, small sponges among which it may be found in subtidal, rocky reef habitats. Two extremely distinct colour phases are found within this single new species. First is a grey phase that is about the same colour as the <em>Psammocinia</em> sponges it hangs out with. It has naked black spots in an asymmetrically scattered pattern on the head and body and few or no cutaneous appendages on its body. Second is a decidedly more colourful and variable phase that comes in red, pink, orange, yellow and/or white that is found in association with sponges of the genus <em>Darwinella</em> that, you guessed it, are yellow or red in colour.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/may/17/new-to-nature-no-141-porophryne-erythrodactylus-frogfish">Continue reading...</a>ZoologyAnimalsWildlifeScienceWorld newsEnvironmentSun, 17 May 2015 06:00:16 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/may/17/new-to-nature-no-141-porophryne-erythrodactylus-frogfishPhotograph: PRWell hidden: Porophryne erythrodatylus. Photograph by K Sebo, reproduced by permission of American Society of Ichthyologists and HerpetologistsPhotograph: PRWell hidden: Porophryne erythrodatylus. Photograph by K Sebo, reproduced by permission of American Society of Ichthyologists and HerpetologistsQuentin Wheeler2015-05-17T06:00:16ZNew to nature No 140: Anthroherpon cecai and A sinjajevinahttps://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/mar/29/new-to-nature-no-140-anthroherpon-cecai-sinjajevina-cave-beetles
The caves of southern Europe are crawling with beetles – including two new discoveries<p>What comes to mind when you think of a massive species radiation? Darwin’s Galapagos finches, perhaps? Or Hawaii’s fruit fly fauna? A similarly impressive example is found literally under foot in Europe where Anthroherpon is just one of 121 genera of the tribe Leptodirini found in caves. Combined with troglobites from other Coleoptera families, this underground fauna accounts for about 30% of all cave-adapted beetles worldwide. Depending on whose count you accept, the majority of the 800 to 1,000 or more leptodirine species of Europe are detritivores and saprophages, feeding on decomposing materials on the floors and walls of caves. Other tribes of the family Leiodidae exhibit impressively diverse habits. Many species feed on fungi or carrion, and some are inquilines in the nests of Neotropical stingless bees.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/mar/29/new-to-nature-no-140-anthroherpon-cecai-sinjajevina-cave-beetles">Continue reading...</a>InsectsZoologyAnimalsWildlifeScienceWorld newsEnvironmentSun, 29 Mar 2015 06:00:04 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/mar/29/new-to-nature-no-140-anthroherpon-cecai-sinjajevina-cave-beetlesPhotograph: Iva NjunjicAnthroherpon sinjajevina (left) and Anthroherpon cecai. Photo: Iva Njunji Photograph: Iva NjunjicPhotograph: Iva NjunjicAnthroherpon sinjajevina (left) and Anthroherpon cecai. Photo: Iva Njunji Photograph: Iva NjunjicQuentin Wheeler2015-03-29T06:00:04ZNew to nature No 139: Antechinus arktoshttps://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/mar/15/new-to-nature-no-139-antechinus-arktos
Long mistaken for another species, this Australian marsupial may now be under threat from rising temperatures. That doesn’t stop it from enjoying a vigorous, if deadly, sex life<p>A beautiful new species of carnivorous marsupial has been discovered in far south-eastern Queensland and adjacent north-eastern New South Wales. Isolated at high altitude on the Tweed volcanic caldera, in areas of high rainfall, the distinctness of the Black-tailed Antechinus had escaped scientists until now.</p><p>The genus Antechinus includes 15 species from Australia. Short-haired with large ears, long whiskers and a pointed snout, these marsupials somewhat resemble shrews in general appearance. Antechinus are small, measuring nose-to-tail from 12 to 20cm and weighing no more than 180g. Males are larger than females and newborns tiny, weighing in at about 4g. The number of surviving young in a litter varies from four to 14, depending on how many teats the mother has in her pouch. Gestation is rapid, taking about four weeks.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/mar/15/new-to-nature-no-139-antechinus-arktos">Continue reading...</a>ZoologyAnimalsWildlifeClimate changeClimate changeScienceWorld newsEnvironmentAustralia newsSun, 15 Mar 2015 07:00:04 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/mar/15/new-to-nature-no-139-antechinus-arktosPhotograph: Gary Cranitch, Queensland MuseumThreatened by climate change: Antechinus arktos. Photograph: Gary Cranitch, Queensland MuseumPhotograph: Gary Cranitch, Queensland MuseumThreatened by climate change: Antechinus arktos. Photograph: Gary Cranitch, Queensland MuseumQuentin Wheeler2015-03-15T07:00:04ZNew to Nature No 138: Gastrodia flexistyloideshttps://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/jan/25/orchid-gastrodia-flexistyloides-self-pollination-aphrodisiac
This new orchid fertilises itself… but don’t go eating it as an aphrodisiac<p>Many evolutionary biologists, including Charles Darwin in <em>Fertilisation of Orchids </em>(1862), have written about the bizarre and improbable contrivances by which orchids attract insect pollinators. Some orchids go so far as to mimic a female insect in appearance to attract an amorous male as an unwitting partner in pollination. A recently discovered orchid, <em>Gastrodia flexistyloides</em>, takes a very different approach. Like the similar <em>G. flexistyla</em>, it has a three-lobed column bearing the pollen. Two lobes are upright while the third is sharply curved in – and downward. There is a very good reason for this. These orchids are self-pollinating. Moreover, their flowers are cleistogamous. That is, the sexual bits are tightly enclosed within flowers that never open.</p><p>In many cleistogamous flowers the meeting of the gametes relies solely on gravity, pollen dropping within the flower. In the case of these species they do not have as far to fall, the sharply bent structure virtually assuring that self-pollination occurs. Clever variation on the system.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/jan/25/orchid-gastrodia-flexistyloides-self-pollination-aphrodisiac">Continue reading...</a>Wild flowersWildlifeScienceWorld newsEnvironmentSun, 25 Jan 2015 07:00:01 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/jan/25/orchid-gastrodia-flexistyloides-self-pollination-aphrodisiacPhotograph: PR‘Clever variation’: the new orchid.Photograph: PR‘Clever variation’: the new orchid.Quentin Wheeler2015-01-25T07:00:01ZNew to nature No 137: Vaejovis brysonihttps://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/jan/04/new-to-nature-vaejovis-brysoni-scorpion-arizona
A new scorpion found in Arizona has an intriguing way of carrying its young<p>Nine new species of scorpions have been discovered in Arizona in the past half-dozen years but many remain unknown to science, a reflection of the paucity of experts qualified to recognise them rather than any shortage of scorpions. Anatomically, the latest species,<em> Vaejovis brysoni,</em> is unremarkable, differing from related species in details. It is small, just a bit over an inch, brown in colour, and lives in oak forests in the Santa Catalina mountains just outside Tuscon at about 1,800m elevation. Like the more than 1,700 other kinds of scorpion, it is a predator and no serious threat to people. In spite of their Hollywood reputation, only a couple of dozen species are capable of killing a human and then often only the young or weak.</p><p>The new species was described by Richard Ayrey. He is an amateur scorpion enthusiast who lives in Flagstaff, Arizona, and has described new scorpions before. As fewer professionals are paid to do taxonomy in universities or museums, amateurs have picked up some of the slack. In Europe, for example, more than half of the species newly described each year are named by amateurs. As one might fear some of the worst taxonomy is done by amateurs. On the other hand, so is some of the best. Unconstrained by the need to publish several papers a year or work within the time frame of a government grant, amateurs are able to spare no time or effort if they so choose. I am not sure when the word amateur became defamatory. What, after all, should be wrong with doing something for the pure love of it?</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/jan/04/new-to-nature-vaejovis-brysoni-scorpion-arizona">Continue reading...</a>ZoologyAnimalsWildlifeScienceWorld newsEnvironmentArizonaUS newsSun, 04 Jan 2015 00:04:06 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/jan/04/new-to-nature-vaejovis-brysoni-scorpion-arizonaPhotograph: /Public DomainVaejovis brysoni with its young aligned like roof tiles on its back.Photograph: /Public DomainVaejovis brysoni with its young aligned like roof tiles on its back.Quentin Wheeler2015-01-04T00:04:06ZNew to Nature No 136: Axima sidihttps://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/dec/28/new-to-nature-axima-sidi-stalk-eyed-wasp-colombia
<p>Stalk-eyed wasps are ‘the very definition of rare’. This latest one, found in Colombia, is named after a cartoon character</p><p>As the nursery rhyme says “…and little fleas have lesser fleas, and so on ad infinitum”. Nowhere in the animal kingdom are we more frequently reminded of this than among the parasitoid <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hymenoptera" title="">Hymenoptera</a>. As amazing as the diversity of flies, beetles and moths may be, we continue to discover huge numbers of tiny wasps, many very host specific, that make their and other insects’ lives unpredictable.</p><p>One such family, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurytomidae" title="">Eurytomidae</a>, includes more than 1,400 species worldwide. They are small, mostly dull black in colour, and frequently potted with deep pits on their exoskeleton. Some feed on tissues of plant stems or seeds, others on insects living within those same plant materials, and still others a little more omnivorous, feeding on both.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/dec/28/new-to-nature-axima-sidi-stalk-eyed-wasp-colombia">Continue reading...</a>ZoologyAnimalsInsectsWildlifeScienceWorld newsEnvironmentSun, 28 Dec 2014 00:03:10 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/dec/28/new-to-nature-axima-sidi-stalk-eyed-wasp-colombiaPhotograph: Courtesy Dr Lars KrogmannAxima sidi, named after the bug-eyed sloth in Ice Age. Photograph: Courtesy Dr Lars KrogmannPhotograph: Courtesy Dr Lars KrogmannAxima sidi, named after the bug-eyed sloth in Ice Age. Photograph: Courtesy Dr Lars KrogmannQuentin Wheeler2014-12-28T00:03:10ZNew to Nature No 135: Cycloseris boschmaihttps://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/nov/16/new-to-nature-cycloseris-boschmai-mushroom-coral
This new type of mushroom coral has been discovered among the specimens collected on a 1922 Dutch expedition<p>Dr Bert Hoeksema of the Naturalis Biodiversity Centre in Leiden in the Netherlands has described a beautiful new mushroom coral, the smallest discovered to date. <em>Cycloseris boschmai</em>, like many new species before it, had been previously collected and preserved as museum specimens but misidentified and lumped together with somewhat similar specimens of another species. In 1923, zoologist Hilbrand Boschma recognised eight species of mushroom corals among material gathered by a 1922 Dutch expedition to the Kei islands in eastern Indonesia and to Hawaii. Among the corals he labelled as <em>Cycloseris marginata </em>was one dry specimen from Indonesia only 28mm in diameter. It would be selected by Hoeksema to serve as the holotype, or name-bearer, of <em>C boschmai </em>more than 90 years later.</p><p>For more than 200m years, mushroom corals of the family <em>Fungiidae </em>have been important elements of coral reefs throughout the Indo-Pacific. Shaped more or less like the cap of a mushroom and sometimes beautifully coloured, such corals are popular choices among keepers of home salt-water aquariums. Like other corals, they belong to the anthozoa, a lineage of 6,000 known species that also includes anemones, sea fans and sea pansies.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/nov/16/new-to-nature-cycloseris-boschmai-mushroom-coral">Continue reading...</a>ZoologyAnimalsWildlifeScienceWorld newsEnvironmentCoralMarine lifeSun, 16 Nov 2014 00:05:03 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/nov/16/new-to-nature-cycloseris-boschmai-mushroom-coralPhotograph: PRThe new mushroom coral is the smallest that has yet been discovered.Photograph: PRThe new mushroom coral is the smallest that has yet been discovered.Quentin Wheeler2014-11-16T00:05:03ZNew to nature No 134: Campsicnemus popeyehttps://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/sep/14/new-to-nature-campsicnemus-popeye-tahiti-long-legged-fly
The long-legged fly from Tahiti discovered by an entomologist with a passion for humorous names<p>They say that time flies when you are having fun. But in the case of Dr <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neal_Evenhuis" title="">Neal Evenhuis</a> of the Bishop Museum in Honolulu, Hawaii, it’s a fun time having flies. There are parts of the world where the insect fauna is so imperfectly known that with less than a month of collecting by an expert, a “small” genus of half a dozen species can be revealed to be the most species-rich genus in the dipteran fauna. Such an expedition to Tahiti did just that, uncovering dozens of species new to science in one genus of long-legged flies.</p><p>Evenhuis was the expert and Campsicnemus the genus. The collections were made as part of the <a href="http://nature.berkeley.edu/evolab/Polynesia/Overview.html" title="">arthropods of French Polynesia survey </a>funded by the National Science Foundation. When he classifies all of his new finds, and adds them to the current 31, the genus will easily be the most species-rich of all fly genera in Tahiti. He has named the first half dozen with about two dozen more to follow. These six constitute a distinct group recognisable in part by unusually enlarged tibiae on the middle pair of legs in the males.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/sep/14/new-to-nature-campsicnemus-popeye-tahiti-long-legged-fly">Continue reading...</a>ZoologyAnimalsInsectsWildlifeScienceWorld newsEnvironmentCultureSat, 13 Sep 2014 23:05:10 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/sep/14/new-to-nature-campsicnemus-popeye-tahiti-long-legged-flyPhotograph: /PRC Popeye is about 3mm long and has, like its namesake, impressively swollen appendages.Photograph: /PRC Popeye is about 3mm long and has, like its namesake, impressively swollen appendages.Quentin Wheeler2014-09-13T23:05:10ZNew to nature No 133: Aulacoseira coroniformishttps://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/sep/07/new-to-nature-aulacoseira-coroniformis-diatom-algae-florida-ecosystem
This single-celled alga known as a diatom helps tell the tale of a Florida ecosystem's evolution<p>Diatoms – single-celled algae – are abundant in both fresh and salt waters and are among the most common types of phytoplankton. By some estimates diatoms are responsible for one-fifth of the photosynthesis on earth. Diatom cell walls are hard due to a high proportion of silica. Their geometric shapes are diverse and beautiful, and they are incredibly durable, persisting for hundreds of millions of years in the right matrix. Because they have different ecological requirements, the kinds, mixture and relative abundance of diatoms is an exceptional tool for the study of ancient marine and freshwater environments and their change through time.</p><p>Christof Pearce of Aarhus University, working with colleagues at Utrecht University and the Geological Survey of the Netherlands, studied the diatoms preserved in a 79cm-long core of peat sediment from <a href="http://www.floridastateparks.org/highlandshammock/" title="">Highlands Hammock state park</a> in central Florida to reveal a 2,500-year history of the area's hydrology. They discovered a new diatom species, <em>Aulacoseira coroniformis,</em> which proved important for reconstructing aspects of the site's ecological history.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/sep/07/new-to-nature-aulacoseira-coroniformis-diatom-algae-florida-ecosystem">Continue reading...</a>PlantsBiologyEnvironmentScienceSat, 06 Sep 2014 23:05:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/sep/07/new-to-nature-aulacoseira-coroniformis-diatom-algae-florida-ecosystemPhotograph: Courtesy of Dr Holger Cremer, Utrecht UniversityA coroniformis was the dominant diatom in Highlands Hammock, Florida, for more than 1,700 years. Photograph: Courtesy of Dr Holger Cremer, Utrecht UniversityPhotograph: Courtesy of Dr Holger Cremer, Utrecht UniversityA coroniformis was the dominant diatom in Highlands Hammock, Florida, for more than 1,700 years. Photograph: Courtesy of Dr Holger Cremer, Utrecht UniversityQuentin Wheeler2014-09-06T23:05:00ZNew to nature: No 132 Empis vockerothihttps://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/aug/31/new-to-nature-empis-vockerothi-dance-fly-balloon
This North American species of dance fly engages in courtship deception by presenting would-be mates with empty gifts<p>True, or two-winged, flies of the family Empididae are commonly known as dance flies, so named for bobbing flight movements on display in swarms formed to attract mates. Most of the 2,000 or so species of dance flies are found in the Holarctic region.</p><p>Males of the European species Hilara maura present females with a nuptial gift. The male captures a prey item, a small insect of some kind, wraps it in silk produced from glands on his front feet, then presents it to a female in the "hope" that she will be receptive to copulation. A similar ritual will be well known to readers and keeps florists, chocolatiers, and jewellers gainfully employed. Hilara is not alone in amazing mating practices among dance flies. In some species, males form swarms from which females select a mate, presumably the one bearing the most alluring gift. Less frequently, it is the females that swarm and the male who chooses. In such cases, females employ elaborate anatomical modifications to catch the male's eye including darkly coloured wings, feather-like leg scales, and inflatable bags between abdominal sclerites. Although the unusual sex lives of dance flies have attracted the attention of numerous scientists studying evolution, mating behaviour, and sexual selection, the majority of species remain poorly known, as does the phylogenetic history of the family.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/aug/31/new-to-nature-empis-vockerothi-dance-fly-balloon">Continue reading...</a>ZoologyAnimalsWildlifeScienceWorld newsEnvironmentSat, 30 Aug 2014 23:01:04 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/aug/31/new-to-nature-empis-vockerothi-dance-fly-balloonPhotograph: Allen B Coovert/PREmpis vockerothi with his deceptive balloon. Photograph: Allen B CoovertPhotograph: Allen B Coovert/PREmpis vockerothi with his deceptive balloon. Photograph: Allen B CoovertQuentin Wheeler2014-08-30T23:01:04ZNew to nature: No 131 Arapaima leptosomahttps://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/aug/24/new-to-nature-arapaima-leptosoma-amazon-river-giant-fish
River giants of the Amazon are threatened with extinction through overfishing<p>A flurry of social media attention recently warned that the arapaima, the largest fish in the Amazon, is facing possible extinction. A study revealed that these river giants are already extinct in some areas and under great pressure in others from overfishing.</p><p>The conservation status report came with good and bad news. Happily, in areas where fishing is regulated, populations are doing very well, suggesting that similar measures elsewhere could restore the arapaima before it is too late. Unfortunately, barely more than a quarter of the communities surveyed have such rules in place.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/aug/24/new-to-nature-arapaima-leptosoma-amazon-river-giant-fish">Continue reading...</a>ZoologyAnimalsWildlifeScienceFishingFoodConservationMarine lifeEnvironmentWorld newsSat, 23 Aug 2014 23:05:27 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/aug/24/new-to-nature-arapaima-leptosoma-amazon-river-giant-fishQuentin Wheeler2014-08-23T23:05:27ZNew to nature: No 130 Anniella grinnellihttps://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/aug/17/new-to-nature-anniella-grinnelli-lizard-california-cryptic-species
A legless lizard in California is the latest example of a 'cryptic species'<p>Legless lizards of the genus <em>Anniella</em> are found only in western North America, roughly from the San Francisco Bay area south to northwestern Baja California, Mexico. These lizards are found burrowing in sandy soils, often in dunes and typically no more than 100km or so away from the coast, where native shrubs create enough leaf litter to retain moisture and lower temperatures in the sandy substrate. The plants also support an insect fauna presumably used as food by the lizards. While most lizards do best with higher temperatures, Anniella seem to prefer lower temperatures at which they remain active both under and above ground, where they are sometimes spotted on cooler days.</p><p>The lineage to which these lizards belongs has had more or less the same restricted geography since the Miocene and, until recently, was thought to consist of one "widespread" species and a second far more restricted one. <em>A pulchra </em>essentially was presumed to have, until recently, essentially the same range as the genus. The only other named species is<em> A geronimensis</em>, described in 1940 for a distinct population in northwestern Baja and partially overlapping that of <em>A pulchra</em>.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/aug/17/new-to-nature-anniella-grinnelli-lizard-california-cryptic-species">Continue reading...</a>ZoologyAnimalsWildlifeScienceWorld newsEnvironmentCaliforniaSat, 16 Aug 2014 23:05:03 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/aug/17/new-to-nature-anniella-grinnelli-lizard-california-cryptic-speciesPhotograph: PRAnniella grinnelli. Legless lizards of the genus Anniella are found only in western North America.Photograph: PRAnniella grinnelli. Legless lizards of the genus Anniella are found only in western North America.Quentin Wheeler2014-08-16T23:05:03ZNew to Nature No 129: Bordea denotatahttps://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/aug/10/new-to-nature-129-bordea-denotata-fungus
A fungus discovered on a beetle has helped to solve a long-standing mycological mystery<p>Dr Danny Haelewaters, of Harvard University, with co-authors in the Netherlands and Belgium, recently described a new species of Laboulbeniales from the Harener Wildernis in the Netherlands. Like related fungi, it is parasitic on insects, in this particular case growing on the surface of a pselaphine rove beetle collected from under the bark of a dead European alder. The new species, <em>Bordea denotata</em>, differs from related fungi in several microscopic details but I focus on the detail of the position of the fungus as reported. The illustration is of thalli observed on the left elytra or hardened forewing of the host beetle. Far from a useless detail, such precision in noting where on the body of the host a fungus is seen has fuelled a debate among biologists for a century.</p><p>Another Harvard professor, Roland Thaxter, began his studies of Laboulbeniales in 1890 and over the course of ensuing decades named more than 1,200 species of the fungi. In the course of doing so, Thaxter observed the improbable: a given laboul was not only confined to a particular host but was consistently seen to grow on exactly the same places on the host. Some were found only on a tibia, others on a pronotum or abdomen. The story seemed incredible, yet repeated observations often reinforced Thaxter's&nbsp;claims.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/aug/10/new-to-nature-129-bordea-denotata-fungus">Continue reading...</a>FungiBiologyScienceZoologyAnimalsWildlifeWorld newsEnvironmentSat, 09 Aug 2014 23:05:29 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/aug/10/new-to-nature-129-bordea-denotata-fungusPhotograph: PRThe location of Bordea denotata fungus on the pselaphine rove beetle.Photograph: PRThe location of Bordea denotata fungus on the pselaphine rove beetle.Quentin Wheeler2014-08-09T23:05:29ZNew to Nature No 128: Aetobatus narutobieihttps://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/jul/27/new-to-nature-128-aetobatus-narutobiei-eagle-ray
A ray once considered a pest on the shores of Japan turns out to be two species – with serious implications for future conservation<p>Among marine animals, few groups face greater threats of extinction than chondrichthyan fishes – sharks, skates, rays and chimaeras. Overfishing is the greatest culprit, endangering fully one in four species. Conservation efforts are well intentioned, but severely hindered by poor understanding of the fishes' ecology and behaviour, and the same neglect of basic taxonomy seen in most plants and animals. In the absence of credible taxonomy, even the knowledge we do possess about threatened species is compromised.</p><p><em>Dipturus batis</em> is a large, common skate in the eastern Atlantic Ocean that has been the subject of considerable ecological study. A taxonomic revision of the genus has revealed that two species have, until now, been confused with each other and lumped under this one name. As a consequence, there is no way to determine which ecological studies pertain to which species and much work will need to be redone to understand the biology of each species.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/jul/27/new-to-nature-128-aetobatus-narutobiei-eagle-ray">Continue reading...</a>Marine lifeZoologyAnimalsWildlifeConservationSharksScienceWorld newsEnvironmentSat, 26 Jul 2014 23:05:37 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/jul/27/new-to-nature-128-aetobatus-narutobiei-eagle-rayPhotograph: PRAetobatus narutobiei: quite distinct from the similar-looking longheaded eagle ray.Photograph: PRAetobatus narutobiei: quite distinct from the similar-looking longheaded eagle ray.Quentin Wheeler2014-07-26T23:05:37ZNew to Nature No 127: Frankenia fruticosahttps://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/jul/20/new-to-nature-127-frankenia-fruticosa-dwarf-shrub
The emergence of a previously undocumented dwarf shrub in an area of South Africa points to an adaptation success story<p>A newly discovered dwarf shrub from the Knersvlakte, Western Cape, South Africa is the latest addition to the family <em>Frankeniaceae</em>. Most of the family's 80 or so species are halophytic herbs and shrubs restricted to saline, gypseous or calcareous substrates, and thus frequently encountered near coastlines. The family occurs in Mediterranean climates such as parts of California, Chile, and South Africa, with about half of all known species in Australia. They are generally found in arid or semi-arid regions with pronounced winter rains.</p><p><em>Frankeniaceae</em> is an adaptation success story. Only about 2% of plants are halophytes capable of tolerating the high salt concentrations found in habitats such as mangrove swamps, seashores or saline soils. Plants that can tolerate five grams a litre of dissolved salt are considered only marginal halophytes. At the other extreme, <em>Salicornia bigelovii</em>, dwarf glasswort, is reported to grow exposed to 70 grams a litre. To put that in context, seawater contains about 40 grams a litre. Interestingly, the common name glasswort has its origins in 16th-century England when ashes of <em>Salicornia</em> were used for making soda-based glass.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/jul/20/new-to-nature-127-frankenia-fruticosa-dwarf-shrub">Continue reading...</a>ZoologyBiologyWildlifeScienceEnvironmentCultureSat, 19 Jul 2014 23:05:03 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/jul/20/new-to-nature-127-frankenia-fruticosa-dwarf-shrubPhotograph: Nick Helme/PRThe documented population of Frankenia fruticosa, a newly discovered dwarf shrub, runs to no more than 5,000 plants. Photograph: Nick HelmePhotograph: Nick Helme/PRThe documented population of Frankenia fruticosa, a newly discovered dwarf shrub, runs to no more than 5,000 plants. Photograph: Nick HelmeQuentin Wheeler2014-07-19T23:05:03ZNew to Nature No 126: Asbestopluma monticolahttps://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/jul/06/new-to-nature-no-126-asbestopluma-monticola-carnivorous-sponge
A killer sponge in the deep Pacific uses microscopic hooks to capture its prey<p>Organisms stuck in place like a potted plant generally make poor predators. But try explaining that to an amphipod impaled and partially digested on the branches of a killer sponge in the deep Pacific. Most of the 5,000 or so species of <em>Porifera</em>, or sponges, get around their sedentary problem by waving threadlike flagella to create a unidirectional current that brings a continual supply of bacteria and single-celled organisms into the body of the sponge that are then filtered out of the water. Some sponges are incredibly efficient at this, moving hundreds of times the volume of water they contain per hour while extracting the vast majority of bacteria present. Others are symbiotic with microscopic photosynthetic organisms that produce food used by the host, too.</p><p>About 20 years ago, it was discovered that certain deep-sea sponges, living in water with few unicellular food items, have evolved a radically different solution. They are covered in hairs that, on closer inspection, are composed of dense bundles of microscopic hooks that capture larger prey, such as small crustacea, when they bump into the sponge. Some sponge cells then migrate on to the trapped animal and commence extracellular digestion.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/jul/06/new-to-nature-no-126-asbestopluma-monticola-carnivorous-sponge">Continue reading...</a>ZoologyAnimalsBiologyWildlifeScienceWorld newsEnvironmentCultureSat, 05 Jul 2014 23:04:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/jul/06/new-to-nature-no-126-asbestopluma-monticola-carnivorous-spongePhotograph: Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI)Asbestopluma monticola, the carnivorous sponge discovered on the Davidson Seamount. Photograph: Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI)Photograph: Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI)Asbestopluma monticola, the carnivorous sponge discovered on the Davidson Seamount. Photograph: Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI)Quentin Wheeler2014-07-05T23:04:00ZNew to Nature No 125: Miniopterus maghrebensishttps://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/jun/15/new-to-nature-miniopterus-maghrebensis-bat-north-africa
What was once thought to be a single species of bat turns out to be a complex of similar species, including this one from north Africa<p>Many would assume that the kinds of living mammals are completely known or nearly so, but they would be wrong. Not only has the number of known mammals steadily increased in recent decades, there is no evidence that the "species accumulation" curve is approaching an asymptote. While a few groups such as rodents and bats account for a significant proportion of the numbers, the consistency with which large and showy mammals are found is astounding. Last year, for example, saw the description of the <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/aug/18/observer-editorial-olinguito" title="">carnivorous olinguito</a> as well as a new species of tapir from South America.</p><p>The supply of Chiroptera similarly shows no sign of depletion, evidenced by a recent 14-year span, ending in 2007, during which no less than 78 new bat species were formally described. Our understanding of species diversity depends not only on field work, but also on the critical testing of what we think we already know. Given new data or additional specimens, it is not uncommon to revise our theory of what a species is, either increasing or decreasing the amount of genetic variation accepted within the limits of an already recognised species.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/jun/15/new-to-nature-miniopterus-maghrebensis-bat-north-africa">Continue reading...</a>ZoologyAnimalsWildlifeScienceWorld newsEnvironmentSat, 14 Jun 2014 23:05:07 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/jun/15/new-to-nature-miniopterus-maghrebensis-bat-north-africaPhotograph: Jaroslav Cervený/PRMiniopteris maghrebensis: wide-ranging habitat. Photograph: Jaroslav CervenýPhotograph: Jaroslav Cervený/PRMiniopteris maghrebensis: wide-ranging habitat. Photograph: Jaroslav CervenýQuentin Wheeler2014-06-14T23:05:07ZNew to nature No 124: Ancyronyx buhidhttps://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/may/25/new-to-nature-anccyronyx-buhid
Spider water beetle found in the pristine streams of Mindoro island in the Philippines is a natural pollution indicator<p>Riffle beetles are found on all continents except Antarctica, and are well known to freshwater ecologists and anglers. In general, members of the riffle beetle family, <em>Elmidae</em>, live in fast-flowing, well-oxygenated streams, clinging to rocks, logs, or other submerged debris. They typically move slowly and methodically, employing their relatively long legs to maintain a grip, even in strong currents, while capturing organic debris as it flows past. Among the riffle beetles is a genus of about 20 known species, <em>Ancyronyx</em>, that have especially elongate limbs, earning them the common name spider water beetles.</p><p>Spider water beetles are known in China, south and southeast Asia, and North America, with the largest concentration of species, 11 out of 20, in the Philippine archipelago. Although designation of the Philippines as a biodiversity "hot spot" has brought increased scrutiny of its flora and fauna, knowledge of the macroinvertebrates remains patchy.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/may/25/new-to-nature-anccyronyx-buhid">Continue reading...</a>BiologyScienceInsectsWildlifeAnimalsPollutionEnvironmentPhilippinesAsia PacificWorld newsSat, 31 May 2014 23:05:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/may/25/new-to-nature-anccyronyx-buhidPhotograph: Hendrik Freitag/Ateneo de Manila UniversityAncyronyx buhid photographed under a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Photograph: Hendrik Freitag/Ateneo de Manila UniversityPhotograph: Hendrik Freitag/Ateneo de Manila UniversityAncyronyx buhid photographed under a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Photograph: Hendrik Freitag/Ateneo de Manila UniversityQuentin Wheeler2014-05-31T23:05:00ZNew to nature No 123: Cyathea moraniihttps://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/may/18/new-to-nature-cyathea-moranii
A species of tree fern discovered in Ecuador in 2003 has finally been proved to be distinct from its Costa Rican cousin<p>Perhaps it was marvelling at Zallinger's famous <a href="http://peabody.yale.edu/exhibits/age-reptiles-mural" title="">Yale University mural</a> of a Carboniferous landscape as a child that makes me associate tree ferns with an earlier geologic time. It has been guessed that there may be as many as 1,000 living species of these slow-growing giants among the ferns. Because most are limited in their distribution, they are particularly susceptible to deforestation. Considering their height and reproduction based on wind-dispersed spores, such localisation is counterintuitive.</p><p>Dr Marcus Lehnert of the Universität Göttingen recently identified four new species of tree fern among the fern flora of Ecuador, already among the richest on Earth. At present, 177 endemic species are known among a total of about 1,300 Ecuadorian species. Insufficient collections and incomplete descriptions of variation have contributed to slow progress in tree fern taxonomy. Some widespread species have been named several times while at the same time new species continue to be discovered.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/may/18/new-to-nature-cyathea-moranii">Continue reading...</a>Trees and forestsZoologyAnimalsWildlifeScienceWorld newsEnvironmentSat, 17 May 2014 23:04:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/may/18/new-to-nature-cyathea-moraniiPhotograph: PR‘Genuinely rare’: Cyathea moranii. Photograph by permission of Dr Marcus LehnertPhotograph: PR‘Genuinely rare’: Cyathea moranii. Photograph by permission of Dr Marcus LehnertQuentin Wheeler2014-05-17T23:04:00ZNew to nature No 122: Jaera tylerihttps://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/apr/27/new-to-nature-jaera-tyleri-isopods
This blind isopod was discovered feeding on a whale carcass deep in the Southern Ocean<p>Decomposing an enormous carcass in the deep sea is a whale of a problem. There was little organised interest in "whale falls", as they are known, until the discovery of associated chemoautotroph communities in the late 1980s. Since then, there has been a dramatic increase in systematic studies of the succession of visitors to natural and human-placed whale cadavers to move beyond earlier spotty and anecdotal notes. The story so far suggests three distinct stages in the decomposition of these mammalian remains. First come the mobile scavengers that tear away tissues through active feeding. These include crabs, amphipods, and isopods among invertebrates and hagfish and sleeper sharks among vertebrates. Second are opportunist species, largely invertebrate, that feed on remaining bones and soft tissues that are taking advantage of this temporary nutrient enrichment of their habitat. Finally are the so-called sulphophilic fauna that consist of a diverse collection of bone-feeders, grazers of bacteria, suspension and deposit feeders, and various predators drawn to the action. The anaerobic breakdown of lipids found in the bones results in the release of sulphides that become the chemical basis for a chemoautotrophic "ecosystem".</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/apr/27/new-to-nature-jaera-tyleri-isopods">Continue reading...</a>ZoologyAnimalsWildlifeScienceWorld newsEnvironmentSat, 26 Apr 2014 23:05:03 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/apr/27/new-to-nature-jaera-tyleri-isopodsQuentin Wheeler2014-04-26T23:05:03Z